Total War: Rome II

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Sep 2, 2013
User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3974 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,184 out of 3974
  2. Mixed: 613 out of 3974
  3. Negative: 2,177 out of 3974
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  1. fuzzayd
    Oct 4, 2013
    9
    This is a great game that had an awful release. I had issues with the game, but now, with Patch 4 out, my concerns are addressed and I truly enjoy the whole game. That being said, I already put in 100 hours in its imperfect state!

    What Rome 2 has in bounds, and shares this with the best other TW titles, is atmosphere. And I'd argue that Rome 2 surpasses them on the campaign map    This is a great game that had an awful release. I had issues with the game, but now, with Patch 4 out, my concerns are addressed and I truly enjoy the whole game. That being said, I already put in 100 hours in its imperfect state!

    What Rome 2 has in bounds, and shares this with the best other TW titles, is atmosphere. And I'd argue that Rome 2 surpasses them on the campaign map alone. The map is massive and well designed. The forests of Germania have paths that can allow for chokepoints every so often, while the northern steppes are vast, hard to cross, and frustrating to fight in. The same can be said for the deserts in Arabia and Gedrosia.

    Diplomacy is the best in any TW. Your ally's territory now counts towards your victory goals, so the days of backstabbing allies are over (unless you want to). I cultivated an alliance with Media Atropane and watched happily as they took care of the nomads that were bothering me.

    Battles are fun as well especially with the recent patches. Playing as Parthia, running circles around phalanx troops and crushing then has never been more fun. My strategies had to change for each faction type I faced (Eastern, Greek, etc).

    The role playing aspect has shifted somewhat. If you go slowly, you can sort of get into generals themselves, but the real aspect that makes you attached is the ability to name and level up armies. It's very fun to have specialized armies I had one used for hard siege battles, and another that was more mobile and fast.

    Overall, the games has some flaws I don't feel attached to my generals (just like I didn't in Shogun 2: FotS or ETW/Nap), and the earlier flaws in gameplay were awful.

    I enjoy the new building system. Gone are the days of building everything in each settlement as Rome I had three different coastal cities with three different port types. This adds to the strategic value of settlements, since if the AI takes my military port, my navies will struggle if they take losses. Same goes for the trading port I'll lose a lot of money.

    Non-coastal settlements are the same way. I had an industry and trade-heavy settlement, fed by a few settlements of farms and temples for happiness. The AI took my farming settlement, and suddenly I had a food shortage and less happiness. The ability to have groups of settlements in larger territories, and to issue edicts that benefit multiple provinces is a great way to push for strategic conquests and boost things like trade, food, happiness, and recruitment.

    As it stands, Rome II is a fantastic game and well worth playing. I'm looking forward to taking my best legion and marching off into Thrace now, fighting many unique factions and in diverse landscapes. Love it!    … Expand
  2. GeneralTry
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    I think a lot of the performance issues have been fixed by now, and CA has been updating weekly, even more.

    The game is a lot more finetuned now, though there are still a few bugs that will get fixed. A lot of people just rode the hate bandwagon on this game and didn't even give it a fair shot. Some people just joined in on the hype having NEVER played a total war game, and found out    I think a lot of the performance issues have been fixed by now, and CA has been updating weekly, even more.

    The game is a lot more finetuned now, though there are still a few bugs that will get fixed.

    A lot of people just rode the hate bandwagon on this game and didn't even give it a fair shot. Some people just joined in on the hype having NEVER played a total war game, and found out it wasn't what they wanted, and blamed it on issues and CA. To those people, I give a big you.    … Expand
  3. xbrick
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    With the beta patch 4 and AMD beta driver I'm pleased with this product. I will now pour count less hours into this game. It had a rough release but with all the fixes its up to snuff.
  4. Renwault
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    This game is amazing and it is only getting better. I have played several Total War games and they all seem to start a bit rocky but this game for me ran very well from the start and I have only had minor issues with the game crashing. The UI is very good and easy to understand. The unit cards are really easy to use and differ unit types. Graphics are really well done in the entiretyThis game is amazing and it is only getting better. I have played several Total War games and they all seem to start a bit rocky but this game for me ran very well from the start and I have only had minor issues with the game crashing. The UI is very good and easy to understand. The unit cards are really easy to use and differ unit types. Graphics are really well done in the entirety of the game. Battles are becoming well rounded with more balancing as the game goes on. CA is working really hard to get the balancing right while they fix minor bugs that are left over.

    The campaign I played on very hard the first time around took me over 400 turns to conquer the entire map. Really well balanced AI for the most part on that trek. I do think that it has become the norm to release games early and this is the same for Rome II but this is not a reflection of the game in itself; the game is fantastic and it will only get better as the add in features that players complain about. People tend to compare games to much to predecessors and forget that companies are trying new things all the time.

    Great game I have and will continue to recommend this to my friends.    … Expand
  5. ruarz
    Oct 4, 2013
    2
    This game deserves far worse press coverage than it has received. Thumbs up to the Guardian and the users on here for letting people know the truth. Its just a shame about the reporting standards of PC Gamer and the like.

    Before the patches I would have probably given this game a 0 or a 1. It was utterly broken and reeked of rushing out an untested and unfinished game in ordered to meet    This game deserves far worse press coverage than it has received. Thumbs up to the Guardian and the users on here for letting people know the truth. Its just a shame about the reporting standards of PC Gamer and the like.

    Before the patches I would have probably given this game a 0 or a 1. It was utterly broken and reeked of rushing out an untested and unfinished game in ordered to meet a deadline. Everything in the game or not in the game points towards these guys trying to making a quick buck. Since the patches I have amended my score to 2. The game runs slightly better but it still falls way short from acceptable. Some of the bugs have been smoothed out but it is still a 'buggy' game.

    The gameplay itself remains awful. Everything is over-simplified. There is no need for a fleet as ships magically spawn for you troops at no cost when you send them into water. The public order system is unbalanced and utterly nonsensical. The UI is unnecessarily bulky, especially during joint sea and land battles.

    The graphics are dull and muddy. They look far worse than Shogun 2 yet the game runs far slower. The fonts are not crisp and are blurred at the edges.

    The diplomacy feature is fundamentally flawed by forcing the player to use a minimum of 10% of their treasury in any payment. This is fine in the early stages of gamplay but when you have 200,000 in you get hammered every turn by AI states asking you for 20,000 or 40,000 just for a trade agreement that will generate a fraction of that over the rest of your play through.

    Worst of all, both the Campaign and Battle AI are absolutely dire and seem like a massive step back from the already lacking AI in Napoleon and Shogun 2. The gameplay is incredibly easy, even on the hardest setting and gets boring very quickly. With the long AI turn times you will spend at least half the time on the campaign screen just waiting for the AI to finish their moves. Simply put, this is not a fun game. It is not a good game. It is a shameless exploitation of Total War's existing fanbase. I only hope that fanbase shrinks and these crooks get the bad press they deserve in the mainstream.    … Expand
  6. btemp
    Oct 4, 2013
    0
    I absolutely LOVE the total war games. Aside from bugs, they are everything I'd ever want from a game.

    Unfortunately, RTW2 is just buggy as hell. Major game imbalances, and while I've been able to play it my two friends haven't out of the box. We still can't get multiplayer campaign to work.

    So wait a while (still) before you buy. Game needs to be ironed out... a ton.
  7. Alberto_impact
    Oct 4, 2013
    0
    DON'T BUY THIS ONE.
    This is the worst game I pre-ordered this year.
    Cappy AI and UI, Awful performance optimization, and bunch of bugs to make you angry.
    Give me my money back, you SEGA and CA.
  8. Arturien
    Oct 3, 2013
    1
    Unlike the professional reviewers I cannot give this game anything more then a 1. The reason being simply that the game itself responds like an alpha test. It does to bare any indication of a finished streamlined product. The AI which was praised to the stars before release is actually the worst AI the series has ever seen hands down, without an excuse offered for this absolute failure.Unlike the professional reviewers I cannot give this game anything more then a 1. The reason being simply that the game itself responds like an alpha test. It does to bare any indication of a finished streamlined product. The AI which was praised to the stars before release is actually the worst AI the series has ever seen hands down, without an excuse offered for this absolute failure. Speaking of failure, there was yet another video offered where the narrator claimed: This is way way pre alpha footage. The end product will look much nicer. That is of course what we all wished to hear. Sadly that pre alpha footage was clearly a sham. Since I've not seen a single person play the game and have that level of detail or polish to it. Even some YouTube rookie reviewers, a small number of which have Titan graphics cards and of course the gear to match Have not managed to attain that level of graphical appeal. Now what does this tell us? Either, the video was intentionally manipulated to make the game look nicer. Or that they have in fact managed to downgrade the graphics to such an extreme without informing their customers that the game ended up graphically in the gutter on release. There are of course many other problems in this wonder of modern gaming One of which is the time per turn. Now anyone that has played this game knows, that it has an army of factions. But so did their previous. Granted, there were not as many, but the number was still quite high. Yet it seems somehow, that they've managed to slow down the AI. In fact it has slowed down the AI so much, that in some cases, it takes up to 5 minutes to end a turn. It becomes even worse when/if you decide to play the multiplayer campaign. Added to the already exuberant waiting time, is the danger of desynchronization. It seems that once it reaches the end of the faction listing that is the factions that you've discovered thus far the game decides to simply lock up due to the desynchronization. Which effectively makes the game completely unplayable as a multiplayer product.

    But the technical aspect of the game is simply half of what a good Total War game should provide us. Let's take a look at the game content. We start with political aspect. If we compare Rome 2 to Rome 1, we can clearly see that Rome 1 was far more interesting. In Rome 1 it became clear very quickly when you were either moving too quickly or too slowly. The Senate in Rome 1 was favorable to you if you did as they liked, or turned against you in the elections if you did things that they disapproved of. Their dislike for you could grow to such an extent, that they would send the appointed official to check your family's income. And if that official was not in your pocket a family member you would be fined a good amount of cash. It could further grow in scale until there was nothing left but all out war. Does Rome 2 offer such a political challenge? Sadly no. First of, the Roman senate has according to the game nothing to do with you at all. At times they are mentioned in a mission you receive as the source. But beyond that nothing. There is no extra gain or penalty if you choose to either complete the mission or downright ignore it. The family which you choose, also has no bonuses or individual traits past the bonuses written down when you are asked to choose one. It seems as though the Roman faction is a starved historically inaccurate, melting pot of bad ideas. It is starved of it's charm from the first Rome game, down to an awful anorexic visage. The family tree has been ripped out of the game completely. There is no sense of a family at all. Beforehand you could see who belonged to your family clearly in a traditionally designed tree. Choose an heir, or even focus on specific generals to be successful. For example, picking active generals from the direct descendants of their grandfather. Since we're on the topic of generals. These leaders of men die out far quicker then in any other Total War game to date. This of course, is undoubtedly due to the very unwise decision of turns. One turn equals one year now. Which directly leads to the generals dropping like flies from old age. Not offering you the opportunity to develop them properly in any sense of the word. The women that they marry are thrown in to oblivion. In Shogun 2, a good wife offered your general a great bonus, or could lead him astray even to his death with the decrease of personal security I could have easily written down another few hundred words to max out my 5000 word limit, but let's just leave it there. All in all, the game is filled with appalling bugs, crashes and unpolished material. A black sheep to put it as mildly as I possibly can in the Total War family that does it's best only when it comes to ruining the family name. Personally, it is the greatest gaming disappointment I've had in the last ten years.    … Expand
  9. BrentLauer
    Oct 3, 2013
    0
    Creative Assembly i am disappoint.

    As a long-term customer of TW games i wasn't expecting them to deliver a *perfect* game, but the state of Rome2 surprised even me. The game is in fact worse than beta-status A.I. is as incompetent as hell, the UI is really bad, the Textures are plain ugly and bugs, bugs literally everywhere. And what makes me angry the most is that CA is again relying    Creative Assembly i am disappoint.

    As a long-term customer of TW games i wasn't expecting them to deliver a *perfect* game, but the state of Rome2 surprised even me. The game is in fact worse than beta-status A.I. is as incompetent as hell, the UI is really bad, the Textures are plain ugly and bugs, bugs literally everywhere. And what makes me angry the most is that CA is again relying on the community to fix their broken game.

    Personally i think some kind of lawsuit would help to improve the inbearable way of CA doing buisness. Hyping up the community with flashy videos and promises about some kind of "revolutionary new A.I." when the finished game doesn't look anything like that and has a utterly crappy A.I. is basically screaming "FRAUD" and "FALSE ADVERTISING".    … Expand
  10. Franotix
    Oct 3, 2013
    7
    I change my score now

    After many patches, since the first one, I put a 7 instead of a 3 Now the AI will try to destroy the walls, or the doors and enter in the cities at least at very hard difficulty this is what they do before they were standing in front of the wall doing nothing. The AI turns are now alot more fast from what I can see in my advanced campaing at least 5 time    I change my score now

    After many patches, since the first one, I put a 7 instead of a 3

    Now the AI will try to destroy the walls, or the doors and enter in the cities at least at very hard difficulty this is what they do before they were standing in front of the wall doing nothing.

    The AI turns are now alot more fast from what I can see in my advanced campaing at least 5 time more fast than it was... So Now I play more than i waiting, its already a great improvement.

    some capture point on open battlefield have been remove this is a great improvement too
    But theres many point inside a cities and AI split his army sometime because of this, and its really easy to beat them when their unit are all split across a giant city you just got their stack one by one... Still need improvement

    And in average it seem I have better fps for the same graphics I had.    … Expand
  11. dihnekis
    Oct 3, 2013
    1
    This game is so insulting. I cannot believe that I spent $34 on this, luckily getting it on sale. Seriously, one of the worst financial decisions of my life. I was broke, but loved the first RTW and hadn't played much from CA since then, so I went ahead and bought it. The game is just broken. Technical glitches are not even half of the problem. The AI is so unbelievably terrible, there isThis game is so insulting. I cannot believe that I spent $34 on this, luckily getting it on sale. Seriously, one of the worst financial decisions of my life. I was broke, but loved the first RTW and hadn't played much from CA since then, so I went ahead and bought it. The game is just broken. Technical glitches are not even half of the problem. The AI is so unbelievably terrible, there is no challenge, etc. I'm done with this piece of trash.… Expand
  12. Shu1984
    Oct 3, 2013
    3
    I would gladly give this game a good rating, but unfortunately I can not. It is my first TW series purchase and, being a strategy games' fan for a long time, I expected much more from this title, but so far I can not find a single reason why a seasoned strategy vet would recommend this one. And believe me, I have tried hard (100+ hours of play).

    The game is flawed as hell (3 patches    I would gladly give this game a good rating, but unfortunately I can not. It is my first TW series purchase and, being a strategy games' fan for a long time, I expected much more from this title, but so far I can not find a single reason why a seasoned strategy vet would recommend this one. And believe me, I have tried hard (100+ hours of play).

    The game is flawed as hell (3 patches so far with HUNDREDS of alleged changes and improvements prove this fact), and it seems that it has been dumbed down to the point where it lacks the minimum depth in almost all of its areas: campaign, province management, battles, diplomacy, politics, etc. Former players of the TW series describe it as "lacking any soul". To me its simply shallow, repetitive, unchallenging and in the end boring. There is almost no real reason to go one turn beyond.

    Do not believe the hype (if you still think Santa is out there) and please think twice if you want to spend euro 55 (plus upcoming DLCs of course) on this one.    … Expand
  13. Yoritomo
    Oct 3, 2013
    4
    Rome II the divorce between TW Fans and Developer.
    From Shogun 1 i played all titles in Series and loved the MP Part of Shogun 2. Now i am totaly disappointed from my pre-order after 3 Patches and 4 Weeks trying to find joy in playing this game.
    Singleplayer Gameplay is still broken and cant be fixed by patch. Exploring new bugs every day is not fun. Facing Bugs that are unfixed since    Rome II the divorce between TW Fans and Developer.
    From Shogun 1 i played all titles in Series and loved the MP Part of Shogun 2. Now i am totaly disappointed from my pre-order after 3 Patches and 4 Weeks trying to find joy in playing this game.
    Singleplayer Gameplay is still broken and cant be fixed by patch.
    Exploring new bugs every day is not fun. Facing Bugs that are unfixed since Empire is a insult.
    Seeing the potential of the game and realize that it wont be reached is frustrating.
    Technical aspects may be fixed with upcoming patches, Mistakes in Gamedesign wont.
    This game feels like its a beta version for a console or smartphone TW Title.
    Absolute no depth at strategic campaign mode (from broken AI to Province Design) and no tactical depth at real time battles. Camping, Spamming, rushing, no brain AI better autoresolve it. Wait 4 Minutes till AI done its turn, spend more time waiting than acting is not a game.

    No beta pre-release, a step back for Multiplayer mode. All the inventions from Shogun 2 are gone and the player is draw back to a empire like gamelobby without a chat. Empire MP works fine now, this mode in Rome 2 seems to be alpha. MP Campaign and you will face stupid AI with a player by side and play a waiting game till it crashes for no reason.

    Score 4 cause i belive CA will get the tecnical aspects done and already apologiesed for the mistakes.

    Quo vadis Total War Series?    … Expand
  14. Beeeno
    Oct 3, 2013
    4
    This is an unfinished and broken game released without beta testing with several heavy issues. Advertisement before game release was false as the game is not fully localised in Italian and Spanish language. Untill today we've had 3 patches but the mess is still on. If you want to buy this game wait 'till next Xmas sales and check how patching proceeds. Just my two cents. P.S. I'veThis is an unfinished and broken game released without beta testing with several heavy issues. Advertisement before game release was false as the game is not fully localised in Italian and Spanish language. Untill today we've had 3 patches but the mess is still on. If you want to buy this game wait 'till next Xmas sales and check how patching proceeds. Just my two cents. P.S. I've preordered a CA/Sega game for the LAST time.… Expand
  15. Gulskjegg
    Oct 3, 2013
    0
    As a previous reviewer had commented, the current commercialized review system is very much like the American political system. The average persons desires perspective is completely ignored as big money interests call the shots. The end user is simply not represented in any real way. I have been playing the Total War series since Shogun 1, and my personal favorite of the entire series isAs a previous reviewer had commented, the current commercialized review system is very much like the American political system. The average persons desires perspective is completely ignored as big money interests call the shots. The end user is simply not represented in any real way. I have been playing the Total War series since Shogun 1, and my personal favorite of the entire series is Medieval War 1, which I still play regularly. Creative Assembly lost the plot with Empire, but somewhat corrected course with Shogun 2. However, Rome 2 is completely and utterly broken in every possible way. Glitchy graphics, abysmal AI, boring battles, and the strategic aspects of the game are incomprehensible as well as counter-intuitive. Even after a patch or two, the game remains frustrating and unplayable. This is, officially, the last TW product I will ever buy from CA. The most depressing thing about this whole matter is the fact that CA could have taken the exact, precise gameplay, interface, and engine of Rome 1, updated the graphics and cutscenes a bit, and had themselves a real winner. As an aside, the conventional review sites, Metacritic not included due to this peer review option, are making enemies among the gaming community faster than they might realize. Just as the internet is crushing the "main stream media" dinosaurs, the big name sites might find themselves obsolete if they do not clean up their act. Same goes for CA, too.… Expand
  16. narkoburger
    Oct 3, 2013
    3
    Yaaaaawn.
    I really tried my best to enjoy the game but i can't.
    Together with Sim City this is one of the worst games I've played the last couple of years.

    And I find it insulting that they even dare to charge more money for DLC, at least EA gave us something free to compensate for a poor game
  17. Schmidte
    Oct 3, 2013
    5
    Okay, I originally thought the game was an 8.5 but reviewed this game as a 10 to offset the 0's...but after having it for a full month, I can't honestly say it is even an 8.5. I'm simply NOT enjoying the game like Shogun 2. I've played every single total war game there has been. All the way since the original shogun. This one currently feels like a chore to play though. The turn times getOkay, I originally thought the game was an 8.5 but reviewed this game as a 10 to offset the 0's...but after having it for a full month, I can't honestly say it is even an 8.5. I'm simply NOT enjoying the game like Shogun 2. I've played every single total war game there has been. All the way since the original shogun. This one currently feels like a chore to play though. The turn times get sooooo long. Which makes things very tedious. Generals die too quickly because it is only 1 turn per year. 30 turns and your general is dead. So many UI failures that make things way harder than they need to be.

    IT'S LIKE THEY DIDN'T PLAY THEIR OWN GAME! There are seriously features (like not easily being able to go to characters that need leveling up which was a feature in Shogun 2 but not here) that you couldn't POSSIBLY not notice or want.

    If what they said it true and Tim Heaton designed this game for metacritic it is a shame and horrifying. I honestly I can't rate this game higher than a 5 right now. I hope they can release large patches and really overhaul this game, but that's all on them. I'll edit my score up if they do and I won't if they don't.    … Expand
  18. Upshot
    Oct 3, 2013
    3
    I'm really enjoying this review stuff!

    Right. I played Shogun, then the follow ons, and I remember spending HUNDREDS of hours playing Rome 1; Rome 1 to me personally was a very enjoyable experience which I immersed myself fully into and really felt like I was having 'fun'. Medieval was also a game I put a lot of time into, and that's only because I downloaded numerous mods to    I'm really enjoying this review stuff!

    Right.

    I played Shogun, then the follow ons, and I remember spending HUNDREDS of hours playing Rome 1; Rome 1 to me personally was a very enjoyable experience which I immersed myself fully into and really felt like I was having 'fun'. Medieval was also a game I put a lot of time into, and that's only because I downloaded numerous mods to increase the game, however I couldn't help but always feel the AI was broken.

    To the point;

    Rome 2 Could be an amazing game, it has so many features that feel unfinished like they scrapped them half way through. I will keep this incredibly short in the following sentences;

    A strategy game requires AI, in battle & on the campaign map if one exists. This game does not have AI.

    They will suicide General Units to attack your cities, alone.

    They will sit anywhere in their city in the open field, and allow your archers to fully finish all their ammo. Oh, do they have archers?... Buy Artillery Units, they will allow you to destroy their entire force of 2000 with a few artillery units, and they will do NOTHING but take it. Oh, what if they buy Artillery?.. They won't.

    I have won battles with 100 troops vs 2000 troops when defending. Not through skill. I have won open field battles with 5 artillery units against THOUSANDS of enemy troops.

    They suicide, they do nothing, they don't think, no strategy is involved in any of these games aside from exploiting that fact. It's almost as if the aim of this game is to figure out HOW to play the battles in a way that will actually make the AI respond/react in a challenging way.

    Campaign map is dead. They have no intelligence, they have no diplomacy. Wipe a faction out? Take their last town? Make them your slaves!!... See them declare war with no army and suicide a turn later. Whatever.

    I've been awake far too long and my brain is melting, but for real if you're a total war fan and you HAVE enjoyed some of their titles do not sour your taste with what you 'expect' from this.    … Expand
  19. JackDDibs
    Oct 2, 2013
    2
    What a joke, the internet is kidding itself Just look to the left and bow down for the might of the.. (wait for it)... "Critics"!! #gotpaidmuch!?
  20. kharnevil
    Oct 2, 2013
    4
    A return to the second most lauded setting after the Shogun period, Rome. The game is graphically pleasing, but for older machines the fidelity will come at a hefty price in terms of frame rate drop.

    The battle AI has no perceived improvement since Rome: Total War, while the campaign map has been reduced to a series of tactical choke points. The simplified campaign map I can live with,    A return to the second most lauded setting after the Shogun period, Rome. The game is graphically pleasing, but for older machines the fidelity will come at a hefty price in terms of frame rate drop.

    The battle AI has no perceived improvement since Rome: Total War, while the campaign map has been reduced to a series of tactical choke points. The simplified campaign map I can live with, the in-battle capture points less so.

    Over all a shamefully buggy release from a well respected developer, blame would probably largely lie with SEGA and their questionable marketing 'gurus'.

    Recommended to wait until Darth comes back from retirement to create a community patch to make it into a game worth buying. Until then, wait for the sales.    … Expand
  21. katzenkrimis
    Oct 2, 2013
    0
    It deserved 2/10 on release day.

    +1 for sound effects, and +1 for the lead designer admitting failure and apologizing to the world.

    But one month after release, nothing has improved. So it now gets a big, fat 0/10.

    When you play this game, you can actually smell the cattle farms. It's amazing.
  22. remosu37
    Oct 2, 2013
    1
    Very poor. I have been a fan of the Total War series since Shogun, many years ago. Out of the box, Rome 2 was near unplayable, and even with 3 patches, the game remains disturbingly unfinished. The AI is poor, both in battle and campaign map, the stability issues persist, the game progresses very slowly between turns, and the game is simultaneously too simple (not enough strategicVery poor. I have been a fan of the Total War series since Shogun, many years ago. Out of the box, Rome 2 was near unplayable, and even with 3 patches, the game remains disturbingly unfinished. The AI is poor, both in battle and campaign map, the stability issues persist, the game progresses very slowly between turns, and the game is simultaneously too simple (not enough strategic decisions) because of its emphasis on moving army units around, and too complex (due to the horrid interface, poor instructions).… Expand
  23. crimy_x
    Oct 2, 2013
    0
    NO FREAKING SLI SUPPORT! NOT FOR ROME 2 NOT FOR COMPANY OF HEROES 2!!! On top of that the last two game you put out have been buggy, broken low qual games. I am never gonna buy another one of your games.
  24. Rayven
    Oct 1, 2013
    3
    1.) The UI is dumbed down
    2.) The game is poorly optimized
    3.) Numerous bugs
    4.) Loooong campaign load time
    5.) AI is stupid
    6.) Balance of power bar is inaccurate
  25. smith1604
    Oct 1, 2013
    2
    wow what a horrible game this has turned out to be gone are the family tree gone are the little assassination cut scenes it has a complicated UI the AI is the dumbest i have ever seen in a video game.I have a high end PC i see some people stating get a better PC well i have one and the fps are pretty crappy.Really big disappointment.
  26. Snorren
    Oct 1, 2013
    0
    DON'T BUY THIS GAME!

    This must be one of the most broken games ever. I have played through two campaigns and was on my third when they released a patch that totally rebalanced all the buildings for the faction I was playing resulting in -264 food and my current 40 hours campaign going to waste. With the number of patches they are pushing out and the magnitude of fundamental    DON'T BUY THIS GAME!

    This must be one of the most broken games ever.

    I have played through two campaigns and was on my third when they released a patch that totally rebalanced all the buildings for the faction I was playing resulting in -264 food and my current 40 hours campaign going to waste.

    With the number of patches they are pushing out and the magnitude of fundamental changes this game isn't close to being finished, why the did they release it in this state?

    The battle AI is really a joke and the only reason to play battles with walled cities was to be amazed how it will up EVERY easy assault.

    The retarded political system that only has one purpose a civil war.

    If this game ever will be enjoyable no one will care about it any longer.

    How can this game get a 79% rating, do they even play?    … Expand
  27. Siphine
    Oct 1, 2013
    8
    I really wish people who rated this a zero would first look at this game again and then review after the first few patches. The user score is always crappy when a TW is released. Mostly because of the bugs, compatibility issues, AI issues, online multiplayer issues, and of course, the retarded flags. All that is mostly fixed! The flags are gone! (for the most part, you still have theI really wish people who rated this a zero would first look at this game again and then review after the first few patches. The user score is always crappy when a TW is released. Mostly because of the bugs, compatibility issues, AI issues, online multiplayer issues, and of course, the retarded flags. All that is mostly fixed! The flags are gone! (for the most part, you still have the option to have them) They fixed a bunch of resolution and crashing problems, and they are working on fixing compatibility issue. At launch this game was unplayable(why I gave it only a 8) but it is getting better. I hope the ones who rated this game badly would give it a second chance, the devs are working hard to fix the game that we all wanted and listen to complaints. They really want you to love this game, and so do I.… Expand
  28. Panopticon
    Oct 1, 2013
    3
    Got burned again. Told myself I'd never buy another Total War after Empire. Well, fool me once, shame on you, CA. Fool me twice, shame on me. I should have known better.

    In short, a terribly broken game missing many features that I just KNOW are going to cost me £10 each to implement. Sega need their pound of flesh.
  29. Sergey_Nabrusko
    Oct 1, 2013
    1
    If you will buy this game, you will buy just a part of game: there are some stupid DLC. Is this a game at all? Of course it is not strategy, cause there is no strategy at all: not in global nor multiplayer. Multiplayer in Rome 2 is the worst thing CA ever made: it's unbalanced and not interesting. These british guys prove that they love money.
  30. Madrin
    Oct 1, 2013
    9
    At first i was fairly disappointed the game, Rome Total War was the first Total War game i got to play back then. The new game, even though it added ton of improvements game-wise over the former Total War games, just didn't played comfortably due to AI errors, graphic issues, bugs and other stuff you probably heard about already. Today though Creative Assembly released their 3rd majorAt first i was fairly disappointed the game, Rome Total War was the first Total War game i got to play back then. The new game, even though it added ton of improvements game-wise over the former Total War games, just didn't played comfortably due to AI errors, graphic issues, bugs and other stuff you probably heard about already. Today though Creative Assembly released their 3rd major patch for the game.

    Thanks to the new Patch the game runs really smooth now, ending turns went from 5 mins to 1 minute, no more crashes, weird bugs or issues and the AI is much improved. The game isn't perfect yet but it sure comes close to what the game should have been from the start. It's absolutely fun now to play. I've completely forgiven the rough start thanks to the efforts to create a proper game again and their is much more coming in the future. I think this game deserves a new review with this new patch, its a life changer compared to the release.    … Expand
  31. Cloud7
    Oct 1, 2013
    3
    I'm surprised at all the dishonest critic reviews. Surely we didn't play the same game? "This is not an easy game and require a learning curve" What?! This is by FAR the easiest Total War game I've ever played and the only Total War game that is a complete walk in the park on legendary. It's a joke. Nothing but a rushed poorly optimized game at the moment. Depending on your hardware youI'm surprised at all the dishonest critic reviews. Surely we didn't play the same game? "This is not an easy game and require a learning curve" What?! This is by FAR the easiest Total War game I've ever played and the only Total War game that is a complete walk in the park on legendary. It's a joke. Nothing but a rushed poorly optimized game at the moment. Depending on your hardware you will get pretty much the same exact FPS whether you have all settings on very high or the lowest possible settings. I will be honest and say I do like the concept that they had here, with how the UI was designed and innovative from the past Total War games. But besides that this game has nothing to offer in it's current state. The campaign map is still unplayable for some players, someone would be lucky to average over 25 frames. The player will normally dread ending his/her turn because not being able to get over 15 frames when waiting for over 100 factions (although I do like competing with a large amount of factions) is just a terrible experience. I found myself ending my turn and physically leaving to go do something in the mean time, it was that bad. This is all after CA's patch 2.0 (patch 3 beta is just a broken mess from what I've heard). The naval battles are still broken. I experienced a battle where all of the enemies routed off map but one unit couldn't leave the map. It seemed as if an invisible force field wouldn't let the enemy off the map despite me using all 4 of my units left to ram the unit (which was invincible at this point by the way) to try and force it off the map or just destroy it. However after trying to do anything that would let me just win the battle the clock ran out and I LOST. That was honestly one of the worst gaming experiences I've ever had, I just couldn't believe it. Another issue I personally experienced is that the AI factions will almost NEVER declare war on you no matter what you do. They possibly might have agents commit actions on you but never more than that unless you declare war on them. If this game was to be properly patched and all of the issues fixed (that won't happen anytime soon) the most this game deserves is a 7/10 bottom line.… Expand
  32. tom_gr7
    Oct 1, 2013
    2
    Rome II: Totally Casual.

    Streamlined features, zero diplomacy, no family tree, lack of character progression, magical transports, complete lack of battle, siege and campaign AI, blob style fighting formations, 3minute battles, magical fire burning torches, zero seasons, 1 turn per year, awful performance on high end systems, monotonous and incredibly tedious campaign,
  33. SouthMiddleton
    Oct 1, 2013
    4
    The main problem I believe is with Sega and not the game, making people pay for DLC and forcing an unfinished game out, they've put lining their own pockets before the fans which are the ones that actually buy their games.
    Everything that matter is wrong, the basics have been stripped down, more bugs than the amazon and the "all new and improved AI" is not just broken but smashed into the    The main problem I believe is with Sega and not the game, making people pay for DLC and forcing an unfinished game out, they've put lining their own pockets before the fans which are the ones that actually buy their games.
    Everything that matter is wrong, the basics have been stripped down, more bugs than the amazon and the "all new and improved AI" is not just broken but smashed into the dust. The difficulty now means nothing, no one attacks you or declares war, the multiplier always de-syncs, battles look like moshpits no tactics needed to win battle anymore, the cinematics are all but gone and where is the politics system that was talked about?!!?
    On the flip side the map is beautiful to look at and fun to move around, the city build system has more effect through out the campaign map and the units look good at best when they're not bugged out.
    All in all this is a once amazing game with an unlimited amount of play ability that only does as much to anger me and wipe out any historical accuracy. I might even go as far as to say this could be the last C.A. game I buy for a while until EVERYTHING is fixed, the most loyal fans of the franchises who have played almost every game can agree and see this has let everyone done and a lot will need to be done to get them back to where they were and to get their hardcore fans back on board.    … Expand
  34. mastro_akq
    Oct 1, 2013
    4
    Bought Rome 2 inspite of the critics, and now I know why everyone is upset about the game. Not counting all of the bugs and horrible AI that seems to take 10 steps back in the franchise, the cupboard is bare so to speak. The game is boring, and featureless. Sometime before release they decided to take out almost all or any interesting features and the gameplay is super basic and poorlyBought Rome 2 inspite of the critics, and now I know why everyone is upset about the game. Not counting all of the bugs and horrible AI that seems to take 10 steps back in the franchise, the cupboard is bare so to speak. The game is boring, and featureless. Sometime before release they decided to take out almost all or any interesting features and the gameplay is super basic and poorly done at that. The UI's, encylcopedia, tech tree exct are all out of place and look like something from a sci-fi game. The units cards are stylized art, most faction literally have about 10 troops, most are all clones shared across each faction. There is nothing epic about the campaign and you will find it dull and repetitively unappealing. From a TW fan that has played since Medieval 1, spare yourself the upset that is Rome2. Its a stripped, dumbed-down TW game $20 game being sold for $60 and an $8 DLC that should be free since the game is so basic and uninteresting.

    There is a ton more one could gripe about, but I hope this review helps some.    … Expand
  35. Jolly_Swagman
    Oct 1, 2013
    0
    This is worse than an alpha. CA has messed up totally. Instead of being a great game, this is
    Total War: CA's Fanbase III.
    The gameplay is awful, with an AI without any brain. They constantly suicide-rush their men into my units. 1 unit of war elephants I had managed to destroy two enemy armies in their entirety just by charging into them. I suck at strategy, but I have not lost a    This is worse than an alpha. CA has messed up totally. Instead of being a great game, this is
    Total War: CA's Fanbase III.

    The gameplay is awful, with an AI without any brain. They constantly suicide-rush their men into my units.
    1 unit of war elephants I had managed to destroy two enemy armies in their entirety just by charging into them.

    I suck at strategy, but I have not lost a single battle regardless of odds in 3 campaigns, not because i'm some sort of epic general as said, I suck but because the AI is THAT dumb. I will never purchase another CA game again.    … Expand
  36. AFKeying
    Oct 1, 2013
    0
    Horribly buggy, and completely unplayable. I have never seen a more incompetent company than CA for releasing such a broken game. I love the games when I can actually play them but I see now that they are just lining their pockets without putting much of any effort into creating a good game.

    I would hope, as with anyone that has a job they enjoy, especially one meant to contribute to    Horribly buggy, and completely unplayable. I have never seen a more incompetent company than CA for releasing such a broken game. I love the games when I can actually play them but I see now that they are just lining their pockets without putting much of any effort into creating a good game.

    I would hope, as with anyone that has a job they enjoy, especially one meant to contribute to the entertainment of others; that they would put forth effort in making something as streamline, flawless and pristine as possible. Instead; they came up with a game than runs under 1fps on release, AI turns in campaign take over an hour as the game progresses and battles are just unplayable for me. I don't even care to wait until they fix the game to play it; it should have been working when I first bought it.

    The only thing I've learned is that there is worse companies out there than Jagex, and they seem to seeking a trophy for screwing over everyone that buys their products. The mature thing to do would have been to postpone release, I'm sure anyone who pre-ordered the game would agree.

    Flush your money down the toilet, its entertaining than purchasing this mess of what they call game.    … Expand
  37. Maragavin
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    This. Was. Bad. Gods. Hell, even blacklist was less over-hyped and less riddles with developer/publisher lies.
    Do not buy. It will be in a 5£ bin soon enough.
  38. zeock9
    Sep 30, 2013
    2
    Unfinished product at best the core concept was grand, but the devs rushed it out the door with zero polish and absolutely zero play testing.
    It's full of bugs and incompetent AI behaviors that render all other good aspects of this game moot.
    Shame on them.
  39. YouLiedToUs
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    Campaign AI is extremely passive. Battle AI is simply broken. It doesn't work. It ignores your troops and just suicides into you. Its easily possible to win with 100 man against 5000. No joke.
    With far lower settings than Shogun 2 I get not even half the FPS.
    With the latest patch siege battles crash making it impossible to continue my current campaign. At least I don't have to look at    Campaign AI is extremely passive. Battle AI is simply broken. It doesn't work. It ignores your troops and just suicides into you. Its easily possible to win with 100 man against 5000. No joke.
    With far lower settings than Shogun 2 I get not even half the FPS.

    With the latest patch siege battles crash making it impossible to continue my current campaign. At least I don't have to look at the horrible Battle UI which clearly nobody tested on 1440x900 resolutions. It takes up half the damn screen.

    I hope there will be an Achievement for participating in the Beta.    … Expand
  40. Irishtotalwar
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    First of all I am (was) a Huge fan of the total war series Especially Rome 1. However This newest edition to the franchise is a huge disappointment it feels much like a civilisation game and the winning elements of a Total War game are now gone.It has been stripped bare to the point where the list is too long to mention.Performance problems are possibly the worst part. I wonder is anyoneFirst of all I am (was) a Huge fan of the total war series Especially Rome 1. However This newest edition to the franchise is a huge disappointment it feels much like a civilisation game and the winning elements of a Total War game are now gone.It has been stripped bare to the point where the list is too long to mention.Performance problems are possibly the worst part. I wonder is anyone from the original Rome 1 Team still works there because it certainly doesn't feel like their work. This has been a step back for the total war series,Patches or no patches… Expand
  41. Ayestes
    Sep 30, 2013
    6
    Given mod and patch support I see the game turning out very well, but at the moment just like with most Total War games you pretty much need to wait out the initial period of issues. That said, I did enjoy a full campaign already so it's not horrible by any means it's just a disappointment compared to Shogun. This game does carry a bunch of improved features though which removed a lot ofGiven mod and patch support I see the game turning out very well, but at the moment just like with most Total War games you pretty much need to wait out the initial period of issues. That said, I did enjoy a full campaign already so it's not horrible by any means it's just a disappointment compared to Shogun. This game does carry a bunch of improved features though which removed a lot of the tedium, which I liked. Just wait a few months if you are interested and I'm sure the game will be fine.… Expand
  42. mzbrx
    Sep 30, 2013
    1
    I played this game few hours. Historicity gone, Playability gone, Atmosphere gone, Logic Gone, AI is a joke no matter patches. I had same feelings from battles like playing old stupid Dune2, C&C like games. Rome I and even more Roma Surrectum II Mod is better game than this piece of crap. Maybe this game was crated by new generation creative assembly employees.
  43. themasterconnor
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    Terrible, just utterly terrible.

    They have dropped everything you would associate with total war and cut corners to the extent where the events in-game stop a quarter way through the game, conveniently just when the reviewers demo ends, they cut corners on purpose and sold a broken game to all of us.
  44. fruitloopeater
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    I have played since the original Rome Total War. I have many problems with this game. It had a ton of potential, it still has some. I am going to use bullet points so you can read this easy. I think CA made a serious error and will not ever pay for a Total War game again. This is a pump-and-dump game made by vulture capitalists stealing your money.

    The fact meta critic gives it a    I have played since the original Rome Total War. I have many problems with this game. It had a ton of potential, it still has some. I am going to use bullet points so you can read this easy. I think CA made a serious error and will not ever pay for a Total War game again. This is a pump-and-dump game made by vulture capitalists stealing your money.

    The fact meta critic gives it a 77 right now is testament to the corruption for paid reviews. The game is unplayable due to bugs. Also, I have a great computer and whatnot- these bugs are related to the game and prevent play.

    Main Problems:
    Campaign

    -buggy, will crash a good deal, impossible to complete
    -the graphical interface has no labels so you must memorize what button means what
    -if you mess up with food by conquering a city that has none and you are low on food, it can destroy any chance you had at that game because your entire empire will starve to death.
    -every army must be lead by a general, of which you are given a limited number. These armies cannot be split which takes away hugely from the experience
    -in general the game feels cartoonish and there is not the strategy of the old CA games. The game path is far more linear.

    there are other problems with the campaign but those are the ones that render it none-fun and completely unplayable.

    Battles:

    -Siege Battles are broken and very buggy and will crash games constantly. Siege Towers will move through walls, units on walls will not fight right, siege equipment for defenders will crash game if moved.
    -Capture points have been added to maps and make game play very silly. A single unit of horse can often capture the lone capture point on the map while the rest of your army is crushing the enemy. These are on land battles, not siege battles as in the old Rome. It essentially breaks the battles with these involved.
    -Naval Battles are very unresponsive in general and after the initial charge it is hard to get anything to obey
    -Units are not organized after a small amount of fighting and will form blobs. Unit formations are bugged. Many easy features of Rome 1 were removed. This includes loose and tight formations and toggle fire at will mode for Roman Legions among others.
    -Cav Camels in general are none-responsive and after the initial charge will not obey orders to retreat even if ordered multiple times.
    -Some people have FPS issues, I do not though. I have a Intel Core with a 580 twin frozer though.

    Multiplayer Issues

    This is what I do not understand most. Shogun 2 was perfect, all they had to do was copy it and they would have been set.

    -Maintaining connection- I have a great internet connection. I would estimate that 70-85% of all matches end in a desync or disconnect (none-intentional) of those involved. Siege Battles disconnect at a near 90% rate.
    -Game cannot handle large amount of soldiers- they are improving this with patches
    -Global Chat gone
    -You must click to bring up chat box. When you start game it makes it go away and you can no longer type in it. So you cannot be "ready" and still type. which is frustrating in multiplayer lobby. I don't understand once again why it cannot be how it was in Shogun 2, and like every other Total War series game ever.
    -No avatar campaign customizable general/units as in Shogun 2
    -None-moveable artillery available for reduced cost needs to be removed from the game as it encourages camping and is very cheap. You cannot beat Macedonia if they go full cheese.
    -Maps are smaller than Shogun Two. However there are beautiful custom made maps for each city. There is a huge plus.

    Overall I hope that CA listens to customers and fires the person responsible for managing this (I think we all know who that is... hint he ruined other franchises as well). They did a terrible job when they could have copy pasted multiplayer from Shogun 2 and it would have been amazing. The Campaign is currently a buggy mess and not possible to finish. Most stuff can be fixed with patches but the core problem is more that they released an unfinished product with a laughable campaign and entirely unstable multiplayer.

    This game is borderline fraud do to unplayability. Most BETAs have more stability than this game.    … Expand
  45. Kherny
    Sep 30, 2013
    2
    Jesus H Christ... uninstalled today, just cant take it anymore. 3 patches in and its easy to see this needs a hell of a lot more work and to be honest right now just don't bother after seeing the progress in a month of patching, give it a year. The AI is simply atrocious. The UI is unwieldy. The turn times are awful although I have managed an entire ebook between turn times. play time ofJesus H Christ... uninstalled today, just cant take it anymore. 3 patches in and its easy to see this needs a hell of a lot more work and to be honest right now just don't bother after seeing the progress in a month of patching, give it a year. The AI is simply atrocious. The UI is unwieldy. The turn times are awful although I have managed an entire ebook between turn times. play time of 75 hours on first campaign, it feels like half of that is on turn times alone on my high end gaming system) Poor fps campaign map performance. There are a hell of a lot of generic looking troops cross faction( I don't mean type of troop but the look, copy and pasted). The politics system is basic and mystifying in its point of even being there. The speed of the game in battles on land and naval has been sped up to arcade levels. (consoled) This makes naval battles pointless thus rendering half the tech tree pointless as its naval based. The unit blobbing (look up rome 2 blobbing makes any unit formations pointless. The interviews and trailers painted a completely unrealistic view of the released game. Overall such a huge letdown and I have not touched on all its problems. One in a series of huge letdowns lately for PC releases in general.

    Never preorder in general but now add Creative Assembly who are known for buggy released games to the list of "delayed purchase" depending upon user reviews 6 months down the line.

    For a more in depth review try the Angry Joe review on youtube. He pretty much nails it. Also, Totalbiscuit has slated the attitude of Creative Assembly for a recent interview in which the head states he aims for a 90% metacritic review before anything else, cutting features if they dont add to that goal. (search for content patch sept 24th 2013 7.24 in) How about trying to make a good game primarily, for a good score? What a novel thought.

    "Rome 2 Total War" should now be renamed "Rome 2 Total rethink needed"

    On a positive note, I enjoyed using the unit camera. But the blobbing of units and lack of fight animations took the fun out of that after a short while. Dear me, hard to be positive. The general speeches before battle were enjoyable when they worked and did not cut out.

    Reinstalling Empire/Napoleon as we speak.

    /sigh    … Expand
  46. mokawa71
    Sep 29, 2013
    4
    I believe the most of us liked the advertising of the game which looked great and made us buy the game.
    Game flaws are all known in this metacritic forum but lets hope the patches are improving the fun over the next weeks and months
    Anyway, my action to prevent a purchase of a CA/Sega game on release day is that I set a monthly reminder in my cell and lotus notes calendar. Secondly I    I believe the most of us liked the advertising of the game which looked great and made us buy the game.
    Game flaws are all known in this metacritic forum but lets hope the patches are improving the fun over the next weeks and months

    Anyway, my action to prevent a purchase of a CA/Sega game on release day is that I set a monthly reminder in my cell and lotus notes calendar. Secondly I used the code 0903 (release date) on my ipad to remind me on the catastrophic Rome 2 release. I can recommend this actions to everybody if you are serious with not buying a CA/Sega game on release day or never again.    … Expand
  47. FATBOYONADIET
    Sep 29, 2013
    0
    I love TW games but this game is at best described as "hollow". It is a shell of a game which no right thinking person should waste their money on. Simply put, don't buy it.
  48. Hardcharge
    Sep 29, 2013
    0
    This game gets a 0 out of 10 for being the most shallow, and uninspiring release in the total war series. It's a dumbed down arcade version of Napoleon and Shogun 2 with little immersion, and dozens of features cut out and replaced with gimmicky stuff like magic unit abilities that you must repeatedly click in order to win battles (as opposed to understanding your troops, the terrain, andThis game gets a 0 out of 10 for being the most shallow, and uninspiring release in the total war series. It's a dumbed down arcade version of Napoleon and Shogun 2 with little immersion, and dozens of features cut out and replaced with gimmicky stuff like magic unit abilities that you must repeatedly click in order to win battles (as opposed to understanding your troops, the terrain, and formations), glowing shiny effects all over the place, "streamlined" stupid Ipad OS looking User Interface where you can barely even see nevertheless read about the units and buildings and technologies you're getting, and a map that is basically a giant maze of pathways as opposed to an open world sandbox.

    Combine this with the fact that the AI is so inept and broken that legendary difficulty can't even offer a challenge, and you've got a game that falls well below the Total War Standard due to cut features and rushed/careless production.

    We should have seen this coming, since studio direct Tim Heaton bragged in 2012 about designing games specifically in order to get a high metacritic score and cutting features that they decided wouldn't contribute to that. For this reason this game gets a 0 from me, and hopefully that dude either gets his head screwed on straight or gets canned and replaced by a director that makes games for the players and longtime fans, not reviewers who will sit down with it for 10-20 hours and then never touch it again.    … Expand
  49. urmumisanrpm
    Sep 29, 2013
    8
    First total war game I've played and kicking myself I went all those years without. Great strategy game. I'm hooked. Interesting use of tactics. Fun and challenging.
  50. mattgn
    Sep 29, 2013
    0
    This score is based on the following:
    Pay to Beta test the game, as CA are clearly incapable.
    If you buy this game, you will become the proud owner of Dreadful AI, battles that last 5-10 minutes, mosh pit style battles.
    AND as a SPECIAL bonus, you get to pay EXTRA for additional factions.

    All this can be yours !
    Buy now !
    Regret later
  51. mrdeceptive
    Sep 29, 2013
    0
    Do not buy this game!

    This game is in shambles. A complete piece of garbage with no redeeming factors at all.

    This is not a total war game. It feels like i am beta testing this broken, half put together mess.
  52. GaiusAugustus
    Sep 28, 2013
    5
    I've played all of the Total War games, and let me just say that this is definitely the worst of them all. It's like they've taken a huge step backwards in innovation an design. The game isn't horrible, though their are a good deal of game breaking bugs (my army got stuck on a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean.) This should not become the standard for Total War games. Disappointment/10.
  53. MarcusAntonius
    Sep 28, 2013
    0
    Sega And CA released this game too early. It shows it is a mess and the A.I. is dreadful. Whats worse though is all the blatant lies CA shoved down our throats, this will be the last CA game i will ever buy.
  54. Lucker61
    Sep 28, 2013
    1
    1 for the try. Almost everything in this game is a failure. Original RTW is still playable, and this remake is unplayable after 2 campaigns for different countries. Perhaps because they are not different. It's just an illusion. Gameplay is totally screwed.
    And AI is just ubelievably stupid. Even newbie can win the siege in offence against high difficulty AI with double time lesser army.    1 for the try. Almost everything in this game is a failure. Original RTW is still playable, and this remake is unplayable after 2 campaigns for different countries. Perhaps because they are not different. It's just an illusion. Gameplay is totally screwed.
    And AI is just ubelievably stupid. Even newbie can win the siege in offence against high difficulty AI with double time lesser army.
    Those flags are just ridiculous.
    There are a lot of other fails in that game.

    And I'm not talking about all those bugs, that this game is filled.    … Expand
  55. HondaTadakatsu
    Sep 28, 2013
    10
    I have played TW since the first Shogun, and in my opinion Rome II is one of the best. OK, I have i7-3930 and GTX 680, so may be that's the reason I haven't had many technical issues even on the first day. AI has been more or less aggressive depending on the faction and campaign, but so it was also in Shogun 2. There are bugs, but not much more than previously and they seem to be fixedI have played TW since the first Shogun, and in my opinion Rome II is one of the best. OK, I have i7-3930 and GTX 680, so may be that's the reason I haven't had many technical issues even on the first day. AI has been more or less aggressive depending on the faction and campaign, but so it was also in Shogun 2. There are bugs, but not much more than previously and they seem to be fixed quickly.
    Also, I don't understand all the talk about stripped features the family tree was never a big deal to me in previous games, so I don’t miss it, and I think the economy makes way more sense than before.
    I remember in Rome I, the cities used to grow often huge with no possibility to actually influence it, and if they were away from the capital, you had rebellions all the time. So I would let them rebel, then conquer again and raise to the ground to get rid of the population. Your own cities. Now how smart was that? And remember having to move your capital around all the time to decrease rebellions? Some people had even created these maps on the internet to optimize where to place your capital depending on the provinces you own. In Rome II one can control it much better if you do not maximize your buildings too quickly without researching technologies to counter that.
    And the three separate Roman factions on the campaign map in Rome I? I loved when Realism mod removed it.
    In Rome I you had these large land swathes controlled by unanimous rebels. With Rome II now each of them is an individual faction, I think, giving the game more breadth.
    I think Rome II is way superior.
    Of course, Shogun 2 is a great game, and I played it a lot. But does it have a much deeper economy system? To the contrary, to me Rome 2 has way more depth in that sense.
    There are issues definitely with the game still and much to be improved, but I will surely be enjoying it. That's why 10.    … Expand
  56. kavinh
    Sep 27, 2013
    0
    ai is mentally handicapped and turn rotations take forever those damn "critics" have clearly never played more then a few hours of a game or don't realize that you need enemies in a total war game not brainless ai that don't bother to attack.
  57. Miche
    Sep 27, 2013
    9
    On the day of release, and the week or so after this game was released. It was utterly broken. And while that is not acceptable. I am rating the game for how it stands right now as I type this. The game is now a title truly worthy of the Total War name. While it may not be as good as the original Rome, which is one of my favorite games of all time. It's diplomacy is still a little wacky,On the day of release, and the week or so after this game was released. It was utterly broken. And while that is not acceptable. I am rating the game for how it stands right now as I type this. The game is now a title truly worthy of the Total War name. While it may not be as good as the original Rome, which is one of my favorite games of all time. It's diplomacy is still a little wacky, the talent trees are a far step backwards from the well liked system from Shogun. Since the update, the AI is now the best I've seen from any Total War game to day. They invested significantly more money into the AI of this game than any game before. And while on release, it was so buggy that it was broken. The weekly patches have fixed most of the issues, and I've seen the AI pull off some rather intelligent moves. Like bottlenecking my troops between buildings when they are out numbered. It is a much better game than on release, where it was unplayable. But in it's state as of right now, it is playable and enjoyable. It still has some optimization issues(running on a 6 core OC i7, with two GTX 580s in SLI) and the game lags hard on any graphics settings (lowest to highest) with anymore than about 7,000 units on screen at once. Where I could do 15,000+ on very high in Shogun 2 with no issues. If they fix some of the few lingering issues, I'll raise my score to a 9. Because that's one of the only things holding it back from being great.… Expand
  58. veganox
    Sep 27, 2013
    0
    Have played over 200 hours on every other Total War game, and over 800 combined hours on Medieval and it's expansion. I've loved every minute of all of the other games. But as a result of the TERRIBLE AI in this game, I honestly have to say it would be more fun if they just turned off the AI and let you slaughter them all without fighting back. Battles are so boring I found myselfHave played over 200 hours on every other Total War game, and over 800 combined hours on Medieval and it's expansion. I've loved every minute of all of the other games. But as a result of the TERRIBLE AI in this game, I honestly have to say it would be more fun if they just turned off the AI and let you slaughter them all without fighting back. Battles are so boring I found myself autoresolving EVERY battle because the battles were soOOooOO boring. The AI plays worse than a blind person with no arms would.… Expand
  59. Wiseus
    Sep 27, 2013
    3
    There is 10 max. points, but my score is 3 of 10, so there is 3 pluses and 7 minuses in this game.

    Let's start it bellow. Total War is my favorite game series, so I awaited many form the newest and the most expensive game of franchise. Creative Assambly have promised us a revolution, but there's non of it, and here's why: Pluses: + Great graphic. + Sea-land battles and landing    There is 10 max. points, but my score is 3 of 10, so there is 3 pluses and 7 minuses in this game.

    Let's start it bellow. Total War is my favorite game series, so I awaited many form the newest and the most expensive game of franchise. Creative Assambly have promised us a revolution, but there's non of it, and here's why:

    Pluses:

    + Great graphic.
    + Sea-land battles and landing operations.
    + Citys and campain map.

    Minuses:

    - NO huge gameplay improvments.
    - NO retreat(not running out) button and behavior stance(agressive, defensive and so on).
    - NO exiting, or even a bit verisimilar naval combat (oars don't break, no wind, etc.)
    - NO multiplayer features.(co-op campain for one faction, avatar map etc.)
    - NO optimisation.
    - NO product realise quality.
    - NO proper AI( stupid at battle, moderate at campain map, week Carthage.)

    Сonclusion: Rome II should and would be a greate game, when CA'll filed off it's product and moders will improve it.

    But, for now it's just an other new game of Total War serias, like new DLC for Shogun 2, with new setting.

    3 of 10.    … Expand
  60. AbaDe
    Sep 27, 2013
    3
    GOOD
    Top Surveillance Mapping system nicely made (Aerial View Mode)
    Ability to now create generals on the way rather than a son to achieve 16 Generals decide battle decisions more decisively as a general can win you a impossible battle and also can lose you a favorable battle once dead I Liked it !!!! BAD Only 4 Historical Battles and those really does need much brains to resolve    GOOD
    Top Surveillance Mapping system nicely made (Aerial View Mode)
    Ability to now create generals on the way rather than a son to achieve 16
    Generals decide battle decisions more decisively as a general can win you a impossible battle and also can lose you a favorable battle once dead I Liked it !!!!

    BAD
    Only 4 Historical Battles and those really does need much brains to resolve
    Seasons system which was there in ROME- I has not been included
    Too many number of fractions means too much time more in the Later years one reload takes about 5 7 mins practically
    Long ranged units causes minimal damage to opponents even if taking direct hits
    Unit card displays really looks we are living in the "Black and White" Era
    Unit cards are too confusing if have multiple same unit
    No defense terrain bonus to units due to units lacking a guard or defensive stance mode Units either kills or gets killed This is not the way War used to happen.... Front takes the damage flanks used to remain strong with a reserve fresh unit to deploy.
    Rome Without a FAMILY TREE

    SO
    Worst game ever played LOST all my pocked money for this     … Expand
  61. ipeople
    Sep 27, 2013
    1
    If you are a fan of the total war series you will want to avoid this game.

    It was released fours weeks ago and still has problems with loads of bugs.

    The game has been simplified and a lot of content has been removed.

    The game is boring and lacking in any strategy. Seriously, there is so little to playing this game, if you have a pulse you can play this game.

    Don't buy this game.
  62. handicapper911
    Sep 27, 2013
    0
    This could have been a great game, but as usual, CA had to release a broken game. Usually one can handle the glitches etc, but this time its too much.
    -The gameplay, naval warfare, besieging settlements etc, though glitchy and sluggish, was manageable and still fun.
    -When waiting for the turn scale to rotate, it freezes. This makes the game unplayable as I physically cannot progress    This could have been a great game, but as usual, CA had to release a broken game. Usually one can handle the glitches etc, but this time its too much.
    -The gameplay, naval warfare, besieging settlements etc, though glitchy and sluggish, was manageable and still fun.
    -When waiting for the turn scale to rotate, it freezes. This makes the game unplayable as I physically cannot progress further.
    -The CTDs during campaigning and in battle make the game unplayable, cant continue or do anything without being sent straight back to my desktop.
    In conclusion, though this could have been a great game, it is ultimately unplayable, its CTDs and freezes make it literally impossible to progress through the game. That being said, since I cannot play the game, I will have to mark it a fat zero.    … Expand
  63. MilitarVi
    Sep 27, 2013
    9
    Rome 2 I love this game the new/upgraded feature with Greek Triremes ramming into the side of other triremes is captivating to say the least. One of the best games I have ever bought, though I wish it would CA would have waited just a bit until they released it so they could clear up some of the bugs issues but regardless Rome 2 is a testament to the Total War series!!!
  64. Rodii
    Sep 27, 2013
    2
    Too many bugs to be enjoyable.
    Too many features cut out to be a fun game.
    Too rushed to be playable.
    Don't buy the game in this state!

    Wait a year to let it be patched and reduced in price.
  65. Jay8329
    Sep 27, 2013
    2
    Update: The 3 released patches fixed a few things. The really long turns have gotten some what faster, "some" balancing has been done, and units hold their formations slightly longer than before. The most hilarious fix I read in the patch list was a fix for misspelled words..I could give a crap about that there are more pressing matters to focus on CA. With that being said, the 3 patchesUpdate: The 3 released patches fixed a few things. The really long turns have gotten some what faster, "some" balancing has been done, and units hold their formations slightly longer than before. The most hilarious fix I read in the patch list was a fix for misspelled words..I could give a crap about that there are more pressing matters to focus on CA. With that being said, the 3 patches still don't do it for me, but I'll bring my score up for the effort, but not by much. Still many missing features, no family tree. still buggy land and naval battles, still arcade like battles that end in 10mins now instead of 5 so I guess it's an improvement, Ai is still retarded and does the jig while getting slaughter by missle units and they still fail to engage 80% of the time, and we still have that ridiculous army limit!! Geez that is a crappy decision., etc, etc, ect, ect..
    Also, I got to love the sudden flood of naive brainless individuals giving this game 9-10s in an attempt to boost the rating and the user complaining about a 0 score. I gave this a 0 because it's BS I friggin paid $70 for a game in Alpha stage. It's like buying a computer only to find out the I have a really pretty monitor and tower but no guts. So to all those ppl "Go kick rocks!

    Rome II the Arcade game...or something!??? WTF is this garbage.
    0.) This takes the cake, half the total war fan base can't even play this junk because it fails to work. Many CTDs and freezes....worthless...someone should be fired and kicked square in the a$$ on the way out the door.
    1.) Your Units are set to run by default...so they are running all over the place like idiots every time you order a move.
    2.)No Family Tree- wtf, I thought this was Rome, a family tree is a pretty important part of the game...or maybe not, hell I don't know...retarded CA.
    3.) Has more bugs than Empires Total War ever did, and that's seriously saying something!
    4.) Serious limitation to recruitment- Now you can only recruit units through a General and only a General. No more recruiting units in your cities, which pretty much hamstrings your ability to recruit a garrison army that you feel is just right to hold that city on the border of your enemy. Now you have a preset "Generic Garrison". I guess I don't need more than 4 archer units to hold miles of walls...oh yeah that leads me to my next point.
    5.) You no longer have the option to build walls...yep that's right, no option to build walls in your smaller villages or towns. Walls are reserved for your "More important" capital cities. Well that's great and grand and all, but I guess my other towns are worthless and F***ed. I suppose my generic garrison army can handle it..... or not.
    6.) You are no longer allowed to detach any units from your Army unless you have another General right next to that particular Army/General you wish to exchange units with. So I guess CA figured it was wise to keep me from detaching half my army to garrison a city I just captured so that I can send my General on his marry little way to do something useful. Instead I have to park his a$$ in the city for 10 flippin turns (Which Equals 10 yrs btw) until the public order stabilizes...awesome!
    7.) Battles last a WHOPPING 3-5mins! No time for tactical maneuvers, not that it matters with this AI, it's over too fast. You just send all your guys into this blob of troops just like you would if you were playing good old Command and Conquer.
    8.) No fire at will options for your Legionaries. Instead your Legionaries throw their pilums every time you order them to engage then enemy, which is absolutely AWESOME when you send a unit to support another unit already engaged with the enemy and your Legionaries throw that SWEET volley of Pilums right into the backs of your own troops..Brilliant move!
    9.) No loose and tight formation options-guess we didn't need them
    10.) We got magic abilities just like Warhammer. (Remove all fatigue, better accuracy for archers, reload faster, and many more fun abilities from Middle Earth) Every single unit has some retarded special ability that you need to use as much as possible..so it turns into a classic click fest.
    11.) You can only trade out of one port, which is probably one of the many bugs, while your others just sit and be useless.
    12.) Countless other bugs, from Red skies to enemy units doing the jig while you pepper them with arrows all day, to the classic suicide generals getting impaled on spears.

    All of these issues and retarded features, among a ton of other issues I really don't feel like listing because it would take 2-3 days, makes Rome II the worse game of the series so far and probably the death of the total war franchise. I sure do hope CA really enjoys this piece of crap, dumbed down, casual, console geared, kiddie game they have created. As for me, there is nothing Creative about this and it's gone into my coaster collection of sh!t games to be used to set my beverages on. At least I'll get some use out of my stolen    … Expand
  66. jim_mojo
    Sep 27, 2013
    4
    I was very hopeful seeing the trailers and as i loved the sieges in med 2 total war, was hoping this would be great. Weeks after the game has been released and after a few patches the bugs that anooyed me are still there or not really improved. The enemy AI has a habit during sieges to stand there sometimes for an hour even though they outnumber you 10-1 The only way to win was put itI was very hopeful seeing the trailers and as i loved the sieges in med 2 total war, was hoping this would be great. Weeks after the game has been released and after a few patches the bugs that anooyed me are still there or not really improved. The enemy AI has a habit during sieges to stand there sometimes for an hour even though they outnumber you 10-1 The only way to win was put it on speedx4 and wait until the siege was over. Sending out troops did nothing other than lose a unit entirelly or they flee. If a 2gb patch came in the morning and fixed everything id stick to my guns with the rating some people were waiting for this game for years and were dissapointed… Expand
  67. bappy29
    Sep 26, 2013
    0
    Like most others have stated, this is an extremely sad release of an expensive long-awaited game. I have a 3rd generation, i7 PC system, and the game still lags and otherwise feels unfinished. The AI can be frustratingly stupid and irritating, while the game mechanic is unbelievably and poorly executed.. This game is Not worthy of being called a Total War title!!!

    Sega and Creative    Like most others have stated, this is an extremely sad release of an expensive long-awaited game. I have a 3rd generation, i7 PC system, and the game still lags and otherwise feels unfinished. The AI can be frustratingly stupid and irritating, while the game mechanic is unbelievably and poorly executed.. This game is Not worthy of being called a Total War title!!!

    Sega and Creative Assembly should have work on this game another 2 or 3 months and release it over Christmas holiday, instead of rush-launching in September, and letting the current purchasers be beta-testing the game. for them. For those who have yet to buy the game: wait for it to go half-price and purchase it after Christmas 2013. This game is not yet playable (and definitely not enjoyable) in its current state.    … Expand
  68. Sigma77
    Sep 26, 2013
    2
    Again we all got tricked into paying full price for a beta. I don't really think I need to tell you from all of the other posts that you shouldn't buy this game until they fix everything. It's too bad too because it is a great game, it's just not complete and full of bugs and crashes for most people. The game actually runs okay for me but three of my other friends who also paid the steepAgain we all got tricked into paying full price for a beta. I don't really think I need to tell you from all of the other posts that you shouldn't buy this game until they fix everything. It's too bad too because it is a great game, it's just not complete and full of bugs and crashes for most people. The game actually runs okay for me but three of my other friends who also paid the steep $70 price at launch can't even play the game three weeks after launch.… Expand
  69. Bedlam
    Sep 26, 2013
    0
    I don't know what it is but it seems that companies are getting more and more money grubbing. First Strong hold 3 and now this. I can't possibly see how this can get a good review. Rome was my favorite strategy of all time and they've done it a complete disservice. I'm pretty sure CA must be seeding the reviews. I have a very solid computer and this thing lags to hell. Crashes are rampant.I don't know what it is but it seems that companies are getting more and more money grubbing. First Strong hold 3 and now this. I can't possibly see how this can get a good review. Rome was my favorite strategy of all time and they've done it a complete disservice. I'm pretty sure CA must be seeding the reviews. I have a very solid computer and this thing lags to hell. Crashes are rampant. "Normal" speed on battle map is at least x2. They've patched this twice and its done nothing... oh well, as long as they get our money they don't care about the game they make.… Expand
  70. norwaydude
    Sep 26, 2013
    5
    The first Rome game was good; people accepted the bugs and had fun with it despite the meaningless gameplay in campaign mode and the oddities of the battles. It was the graphics, the epicness and grand scale of the game that made us look past its uglier sides. Now, 9 years and 4 Total War games later, it becomes hard to be so forgiving, especially when the uglier side of the Total WarThe first Rome game was good; people accepted the bugs and had fun with it despite the meaningless gameplay in campaign mode and the oddities of the battles. It was the graphics, the epicness and grand scale of the game that made us look past its uglier sides. Now, 9 years and 4 Total War games later, it becomes hard to be so forgiving, especially when the uglier side of the Total War series have become more pronounced with time.

    For instance, the campaign map gameplay still consists of the same endless micro choosing of options that by themselves have only a minimal effect and that do not matter much in the long run. There is no real gameplay behind all the superficial and seemingly rich set of options to choose from it's just the same flummery and fluff over and over again.

    And likewise with the battles. Here we still have the odd AI behaviour of shifting formations every 15 seconds or so without any real reaction to what you are doing, making it easy to rain death on them with skirmishers without losing a single man. I remember this exact same, annoying and thoroughly stupid behaviour from when I played Rome.

    All in all, there hasn't been much progress in the Total War series. Sure, there are new cool features, like units now being able to raise their shields to protect themselves from missiles and some really cool amphibious assaults, but you cannot build a game on cool features alone. It has to have a fundamentally good core to it, and this is where Rome 2 fails. In addition to all the bugs, unfinished features and lack of polish we are used to with games from the Creative Assembly, of course.    … Expand
  71. DrMutomofobo
    Sep 26, 2013
    3
    Several weeks after launch now and the game is still broken and unfinished. Many people can't play it because it keeps crashing and most of the people who can play it is unable to enjoy it due to it's many bugs and flawed gameplay. AI is still retarded battles aren't properly optimized and many of the features one has come to expect from a Total War title are either stripped awaySeveral weeks after launch now and the game is still broken and unfinished. Many people can't play it because it keeps crashing and most of the people who can play it is unable to enjoy it due to it's many bugs and flawed gameplay. AI is still retarded battles aren't properly optimized and many of the features one has come to expect from a Total War title are either stripped away completely or not functioning as they should.

    The mechanics that are in place makes for great promise if they continue to build on them but I don't grade products based on what they *can* be a year from now I grade them based on what the game's current state is at.

    And right now I wouldn't advice anyone to buy it unless they're willing to be paying beta-testers. In it's current state I'll give this game a 3/10 and say to all prospect buyers wait for six months and spend your money elsewhere.

    This isn't Total War in it's current state it's Total Waste. And anyone who preordered it or bought it at launch should be compensated if CA has any form of integrity left. Hyping a product into high heavens only to release it in an unfinished and broken state constitutes fraud where I'm from.    … Expand
  72. KebabRemover
    Sep 26, 2013
    0
    So I've selected "Very High" graphics just to make sure game runs smoothly and hoping to increase it later but I was incredibly surprised seeing graphics equality of Rome I with lags. My specs are: X4 955/6950 2gb/8gb ram. I'll wait for a patches but for now this isn't how surprise fans Creative Assembly!
  73. Inkhand
    Sep 26, 2013
    4
    After the awesome that was Shogun 2, I expected the brilliance that was the original Rome to be brought up to date in a stunningly successful manner. Instead, I got Rome 2. Had this game's problems been limited to design decisions I would have rated it higher, but core design flaws mixed with crippling beta quality bugs drags the rating down to a 4.

    Rome 2 automatically selects the    After the awesome that was Shogun 2, I expected the brilliance that was the original Rome to be brought up to date in a stunningly successful manner. Instead, I got Rome 2. Had this game's problems been limited to design decisions I would have rated it higher, but core design flaws mixed with crippling beta quality bugs drags the rating down to a 4.

    Rome 2 automatically selects the graphics quality settings best suited to your configuration. Unfortunately, it seems to do this with unrestrained naive enthusiasm. I would describe my system as upper-mid range, yet the game unabashedly set my graphics to "extreme". The result was an extremely slow and jumpy game. After dialing back my settings until I was getting worse graphical quality than I did on Shogun 2 (which I could run at fairly high detail settings), I realized the issue was much deeper than mere quality settings. The game has not been optimized at all, as near as I can tell.

    Even when I was playing on extreme (slow though it was) the game's graphics didn't look anything like what we'd been promised during promo videos. The battle of Carthage promo had developers promise that the finished game would look even better, yet we're left with something arguably worse.

    During battles, I've seen ships sail through land. I've seen enemy units get stuck in some sort of strange time warp where they move at a fraction of the speed as my own or even their fellow units. I've seen towers captured by my own forces continue to fire on my men, as if I'd never taken them. I've seen individual men get stuck and dance around in place for no apparent reason.

    Naval battles are so unbelievably broken. An army can apparently take to the sea by magically conjuring a fleet of transports, a design concept I could buy into if they forced the army to take a turn to actually construct boats. Even then, these magic transports can outright obliterate a navy composed of supposedly dedicated warships. There is no balance here.

    Capture point battles are the most insipid design decision in a game that prizes strategy and outmaneuvering an enemy army. The AI rushes through you lines to grab the flag, and in a matter of moments your army still fighting desperately on the field is lost. Now, this has been fixed to a certain extent by the latest patches. But still, who thought bringing capture the flag to open field battles was a good idea? I can buy into it during siege battles, but nowhere else.

    And, speaking of siege battles, that's all this game has turned into. The game was supposedly designed to allow for more epic battles more often, but a combination of limiting the number of armies and poor AI, it turns into constant besieging (which is, quite often, so bugged you don't even want to play them).

    The much lauded political system is terribly, incredibly shallow. Generals die quickly, and you don't really care if they do because their bonuses are minuscule and poorly presented. There is no tech tree for you to look at, you have to read the encyclopedia to see where an ability will lead. There is no family tree, and while you supposedly have a family faction that you belong to... really, who cares? All they do is gather influence (in the form of senators that you can SPEND to do things?), do something with gravitas, and then you get a civil war. Big whoop. There are no strategic marriages, no continuing blood lines. Your faction leader dies, they pull the next guy off the street and put him in charge. It's boring.

    In fact, the entire game is boring. The nuance that was present in previous games (and especially Rome the first) is gone. No longer can you upgrade roads or add defenses to settlements. No longer are there contextual general speeches that play off of traits or who you're fighting, they don't even pan the camera across your troops. They are an afterthought, if that. No longer are there agent movies, which were an awesome part of Shogun 2 and Empire (and even Medieval 2, I think). Even the original Rome had some limited in game movies!

    CA claims that they had a 40% larger budget for this game. Where did it go? Live action teaser trailers and a marketing blitz aimed to get as many people as possible to preorder the game before we realized what a disaster it was?

    To be fair, CA is working hard to patch these issues. But really, a studio with their reputation and with such a purportedly large budget should never have released a game that is, essentially, beta test quality with bare bones features in place of the robust systems we expected.    … Expand
  74. BuddyNugget
    Sep 26, 2013
    5
    Ok so first off i HATE metacritic. Having said that there needs to be some truth in these reviews from users and this is why Metacritic should be demolished. Now i have been playing Total War since Shogun I. Im a huge fan and although Creative Assembly has always released games a little buggy the majority of their games have been pretty damn good. Rome II is the WORST of the series. BugsOk so first off i HATE metacritic. Having said that there needs to be some truth in these reviews from users and this is why Metacritic should be demolished. Now i have been playing Total War since Shogun I. Im a huge fan and although Creative Assembly has always released games a little buggy the majority of their games have been pretty damn good. Rome II is the WORST of the series. Bugs and performance issues aside (which there are many) the game is barebones. They cut so many immersive features and a lot of the things that added depth to the game. I have yet to finish a campaign over my 170+ hours of gameplay because the game is just so repetitive. The game now is very much playable for most but its the core gameplay that is severely lacking in depth. The political system is a travesty. It doesent have any real value and most people just ignore it because it doesent have any real relevance to managing your provinces, armies, and doesent add to the storytelling of the game (which has been damn good in the past). They did ass some cool things too of course. The new cinematic camera in battle takes you to an overhead zoomed in view of a unit and you can watch them as they fight. The province system (although streamlined) is much easier to manage and will be great for newcomers to the series. Army traditions add a new line of depth to the game (not nearly enough to make up for the cut family tree though). Really thats about all it added aside from better graphics which most people cant enjoy because of performance issues (that will be fixed at some point though). This game was overhyped and the marketing was a straight up lie to the fans and future buyers. Trailers and gameplay interviews look nothing like the game. Its sad really because this could be the greatest TW game to date but they streamlined it too much and cared way too much about Metacritic Critic Reviews (which actually turned out horrible with a 79, should be lower). They need to fix the bad design decisions in the game. We need to see a proper family tree, maybe a timeline, a total overhaul of the political system, more turns per year (generals/agents die way too fast for you to care about them), they need to add more skins to units/generals/agents (they all look exactly the same), they need to bring some immersive features into play, and they need to finish fixing the bugs. Once these things happen we will be on the right track and these game could be at an 8/10. As of now i do NOT reccommend buying the game in its current state. Wait for some expansions to drop that add actual features with immersive and depth adding qualities otherwise youll be bored to tears after a dozen or so hours of gametime. This is the most dissapointing TW game ive ever played. If your looking for an even fresher view and some footage goto YouTube and check out AngryJoes review of Rome II he hits the nail on the head beautifully. Really its sad when companies push so hard with lies just to make sales. CA has let all their fans down by making this game the way they did. Pay NO attention to the 0/10 10/10 ratings from users those people are flat out lying to your faces. Thats my 2 cents on this game. I hope this small review can help someone out whos thinking about buying the game. P.S. Metacritic needs to die a fast death lol.… Expand
  75. Yarsk
    Sep 26, 2013
    3
    9 is what this game should have got regarding graphics and gameplay, taking into account some good new features and the thinking ahead about previous opus flaws.

    And 8 is what it should have got at initial release. But -1 for awful UI. -1 for abandoned previous good features and some oversimplified new features built for advertising. -1 for non-challenging and bugged campaign AI. -1    9 is what this game should have got regarding graphics and gameplay, taking into account some good new features and the thinking ahead about previous opus flaws.

    And 8 is what it should have got at initial release.

    But -1 for awful UI. -1 for abandoned previous good features and some oversimplified new features built for advertising. -1 for non-challenging and bugged campaign AI. -1 for non-challenging and bugged battle AI

    /2 because it is unacceptable to pay so much for a beta test

    +1 because CA seems to patch what players point out

    = 3 over bugged, non-challenging and non-immersing game
    = release disaster    … Expand
  76. Hello12
    Sep 26, 2013
    3
    This game will only work great and best on the very best of home computers. CA implemented a graphic memory change for Rome 2. Napoleon and Shogun 2 you'd just pick your graphic settings, and off you go and play and have fun. With Rome2, you have this annoying feature that always checks if your overbudget on memory and if you are, the game downgrades you to a graphic setting the gameThis game will only work great and best on the very best of home computers. CA implemented a graphic memory change for Rome 2. Napoleon and Shogun 2 you'd just pick your graphic settings, and off you go and play and have fun. With Rome2, you have this annoying feature that always checks if your overbudget on memory and if you are, the game downgrades you to a graphic setting the game wants. The graphics after this process look bad. I think this new feature has caused more headaches than its worth. The Campaign map. Is well done. I like it. The Campaign AI has improved since Patch 3

    Campaign Battles. AI has no plan, but to engage your army in head on fight in a matter of minutes. Zooming in to units fighting. Rome drops frame rates like crazy. 2,000 soldiers isn't a big army. Frame rates should not be dropping to the extend they are, more so, as your graphics too have been downgraded to fight a battle. For me overall, Rome 2 is the worst total war of the series. I never stopped playing Empire because of the bugs and glitches. I still had fun with it. Rome 2, i can't do the same. Sega, seems to be at allowing games to be sold that are unfinished. I think gamers need to refuse to buy any game that Sega publishes from now on.    … Expand
  77. dominionator
    Sep 25, 2013
    1
    This game is broken beyond belief. So much lag with the lowest settings so its obviously not the computer its the game. ITS BROKEN. To legally be able to release a game and charge $60 for something broken just makes me wonder what this world is coming to. Stay far away from this game, you will be less frustrated doing so. Wish I did
  78. marksmanjake
    Sep 25, 2013
    4
    Well it's obviously the worst launch Creative Assembly has ever made. The bugs, glitches, horrific AI and crashes destroy the game. If you take away all those errors, the core game itself is pretty bare bones. Compared to the excellent Shogun 2, so many features have been stripped out and nothing has been done to improve nagging issues like the stubborn diplomacy system and campaign mapWell it's obviously the worst launch Creative Assembly has ever made. The bugs, glitches, horrific AI and crashes destroy the game. If you take away all those errors, the core game itself is pretty bare bones. Compared to the excellent Shogun 2, so many features have been stripped out and nothing has been done to improve nagging issues like the stubborn diplomacy system and campaign map and battle AI. It's too easy to win even on legendary. I don't understand how this can be the biggest budget Total War and yet it feels so lackluster and broken. Based on the metacritic score, the reviewers must have played this thing for like an hour. I pray they're not moving to the console.… Expand
  79. RenderUtama
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    Bought the game the day after it came out. Did not get the discount but the game looked amazing and the critic reviews were great. Was excited, then found because I did not per-order the Greek culture states (DLC), i have to pay 8$ to get it. DLC the day it comes out? Great start, worst was yet to come.
    THIS GAME IS UNPLAYABLE, no i'm not talking about the crappy battle flag system    Bought the game the day after it came out. Did not get the discount but the game looked amazing and the critic reviews were great. Was excited, then found because I did not per-order the Greek culture states (DLC), i have to pay 8$ to get it. DLC the day it comes out? Great start, worst was yet to come.
    THIS GAME IS UNPLAYABLE, no i'm not talking about the crappy battle flag system (youtube it), the glitchy animations, or glitches in general. I'm talking about not ever being able to PLAY THE GAME, iIcan't launch this game. Updated BIOS/VIDEO/SOUND/WINDOWS drivers and others, re-installed and installed. Nothing, game doesn't work, make a post under CA tech support website. NOTHING. Been over a week now and I have gotten 0 support. Save yourself 60$ and don't buy this game. You might be around the 10% who can't play, or you get to deal with this crappy game that had absolutely zero QA. If you seriously want to buy this game, wait till it goes on sale for 10$ at the next steam sale. I have lost respect for CA, and will not purchase further products from them. Do whatever you want, yet heed my advice.

    For those of you curious, I am on update 3 from CA, still not able to launch the game.    … Expand
  80. Lizard_man
    Sep 25, 2013
    2
    I really don't understand how people are rating this game a 10, it's unfinished, full of bugs, stripped down and boring...

    What I can't forgive is the state that this game has been released in, fix the bugs and you're still left with an unfinished and poor excuse for a game...

    CA really pulled a fast one on us. They've lost a fan, and a customer...
  81. Matty92
    Sep 25, 2013
    1
    Very disappointed with this game fan of all total war games but even after patches this is still a bad game doesn't have the full total war fell just going from settlement to settlement attacking not very many land battles and when you do get one you end up in massive mosh pit for 1 or 2 min top. The old Rome was ten time the game this is.
  82. tmajarov
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    Rome II is missing many of the features that have made the previous Total War titles immersive strategy games. The game was released with a slew of minor bugs that should have easily identified and addressed in basic Beta testing. Really looks like CA forewent Beta testing to sell preorders and then have purchasers Beta test so they can work out bugs before christmas holiday sales.
  83. theoander
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    This game was clearly unfinished for release. A huge number of players were/are having technical issues regardless of computer specs. Many of the best pc's out there, with the biggest most expensive graphics cards are experiencing horrendous, unplayable fps problems. The AI is broken, many features do not work correctly, multiplayer has consistent game breaking problems (desync) ect. ThisThis game was clearly unfinished for release. A huge number of players were/are having technical issues regardless of computer specs. Many of the best pc's out there, with the biggest most expensive graphics cards are experiencing horrendous, unplayable fps problems. The AI is broken, many features do not work correctly, multiplayer has consistent game breaking problems (desync) ect. This was a terrible release.

    Eventually those things may get fixed.

    Equally problematic is the design approach taken. The game developer was qouted as saying his goal was to achieve a score of 90+ on metacritic, and that features were removed if they didnt meet that benchmark. So what we have, is a game designed to get good reviews within 10-20 hours of play. Not a game designed for the fans, the people who actually purchase the game.

    This is another dud in the TW series, reminiscent of Empire on its release.

    Do not buy!    … Expand
  84. Tomasy
    Sep 25, 2013
    4
    This game at the date of release is in unplayable state. What's wrong with it?
    Well... basically everything in this product is unfinished and unpolished, that should be worked on for another 2 months. As a Total War series veteran this game is not fun to play at all. Even with AI difficulty on the highest level this game presents no challenge whatsoever.
    AI is braindead. Optimisation    This game at the date of release is in unplayable state. What's wrong with it?
    Well... basically everything in this product is unfinished and unpolished, that should be worked on for another 2 months. As a Total War series veteran this game is not fun to play at all. Even with AI difficulty on the highest level this game presents no challenge whatsoever.

    AI is braindead.
    Optimisation is a joke.
    Multiplayer is stripped from all features introduced in Shogun 2.
    UI is messy and hard to get information you are looking for.

    Creative Assembly is currently producing patches on weekly basis with questionable results. This game still got some potential left in it but if you though about acquiring Rome 2 you should wait for another month or two. After that time this game will be back on tracks hopefully.    … Expand
  85. Elodea
    Sep 25, 2013
    2
    Rome 2 is a soulless game. A dried and empty husk of terrible gameplay design and implementation that requires extensive use of community created mods to be anywhere enjoyable. The feature set has been streamlined to the point of anorexia.

    The only redeeming point in this title is it's achievement in graphical fidelity, but this rings hollow when there's not really any solid meat underneath.
  86. Street_Ace
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    The AI is worse then any Total war game released, Critics must have played 1 hour and slapped a rating on it and then f*** off, CA lied about how great the game AI is and the game-play,
    1.FREE Ships
    2.AI performance sucks
    3.No family tree
    4.No senate
    5.no city viewer
    6. 1 year turns
    7. final product filled with bugs
    8.still in beta
    9. Battle lagg
    10. Creative Assembly lied
  87. Merwanor
    Sep 25, 2013
    5
    I have been a big Total War fan ever since the first Shogun TW game came out, which I bought on impulse back in the day, having no idea what kind of game it actually was, and I am so happy I did. Shogun 2 is by far the best in the series as it has the nostalgia feeling going for it, and the amazing depth and passion that CA put into the game. Everything was an improvement over theI have been a big Total War fan ever since the first Shogun TW game came out, which I bought on impulse back in the day, having no idea what kind of game it actually was, and I am so happy I did. Shogun 2 is by far the best in the series as it has the nostalgia feeling going for it, and the amazing depth and passion that CA put into the game. Everything was an improvement over the previous games in my opinion.

    And so it is sad to say that with Rome 2 they have taken a few feet forwards in some aspects, but a big step backwards in the core gameplay. First I want to say that the performance part of Rome 2 is not a big concern for me, as I run the game better than I ran Shogun 2 when it was released, but some of the design issues are puzzling and the game seems to lack the passion that CA has put into previous games.

    Let us start with the good parts of Rome 2.

    The new city/province system:
    This is a big welcome to the game, especially when you start to conquer large parts of the map, it gets much easier, but still retaining the tactical choices of what to build and how to manage, so even if it may lack some depth, it is a step forward for the series. Also the graphical representation of the cities and towns are a great new addition as it really shows the size and type of each town clearly.

    Legacy armies:
    I love the fact that an army has a name, history and well a legacy, you don't care about generals, but you do care about an army.

    Some battle animations:
    I love the physical look of javelins, rocks and arrows have when they hit shields, walls etc. Also some of the fighting animations are great, especially sword wielding units and their clashing of shields.

    The Graphics:
    The game looks good, but so did Shogun 2 and there is not that much of a difference, Rome 2 may have some better looking units, vegetation and lighting, but right now it runs much worse than current Shogun 2.

    The bad things about Rome 2:

    The User Interface.
    The interface lacks so much personality, it looks as if it taken from some iphone game or something, it is so out of place for a TW game and it lacks so much information and depth, and it is not scale able, as it is way to big and covers most of the screen. Those who made it really put no sense of passion into making it I feel. Shogun 2 has a much more authentic and helpful UI.

    The Political System:
    This is the most annoying and pointless system ever, as it seems that Civil War happens randomly or no matter what you do, and some of the options makes no sense, for instance, why do I lose senators if I assassinate a general or statesman, should it not be the other way around? We lost the familiy tree for this piece of garbage feature, I would rather have the annoying pope from Medieval 2 than this system.

    1 year turns:
    Not only have we lost seasons, which I loved in Shogun 2, but generals are pointless because of this as they die so fast. In shogun 2 it was amazing to see the change from winter to summer, you knew that now I can send my armies out without losing men to attrition, now attrition is specific to special places on the map instead. A big step backwards.

    AI:
    As stupid as ever, and even dumber in many ways than in Shogun 2. Why are they demanding loads of money from me to make peace when they are about to be crushed, makes no sense. And it is so easy to win as they seem to only produce slingers, create just a bunch of cavalry and you win all battles.

    Diplomacy:
    Some of the new features here is actually great, like being able to set a target for your allies to attack a city, but the whole system is bugged as client states are supposed to give me tribute, which never happens and AI keeps demanding crazy amounts of money for trade rights, and somehow they know how much money I have since they keep demanding more the richer I get. And there is no freaking give or demand city option, man I miss this.

    Cavalry animation:
    They just run through enemies, they don't seem to do much in battle, just Rome 1 level type stab animations. Compared to Shogun 2 this is just lame.

    Generals and traits:
    Since a turn lasts a year, they die so fast I just don't care about them, and they are annoying as they keep leveling up and gaining useless traits. I wish I could rid myself of generals all together.

    Armies requires generals and there is a army cap:
    I hate that I can't just make a few groups of soldiers here and there to keep order while i move my main armies around, this is a big step backwards. And the army cap is way to small and I require those annoying generals to lead an army. Sure it may be more realistic, but it is still annoying.

    Victory Points:
    Remove these game breaking victory points, but I get the reason for them when talking about naval/land battles. Only instance where they can be used.

    No Cutscenes:
    Where are the awesome assassin cutscenes, man champion cutscenes would be awesome, lack of passion.

    Rome is a big disappointment, so it gets a 5/10 from me.    … Expand
  88. silkjc
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    Perfect definition of a pre-order scam, over 120 million dollars in pre-order sales for a boring game.
    Excellent marketing department... I do not know how the CA developers sleep at night with the outright lies they spun before hitting the release button.
    This game is a shadow of any other Total War title. Missing features or design decisions that make little sense are rampant, once    Perfect definition of a pre-order scam, over 120 million dollars in pre-order sales for a boring game.
    Excellent marketing department... I do not know how the CA developers sleep at night with the outright lies they spun before hitting the release button.

    This game is a shadow of any other Total War title. Missing features or design decisions that make little sense are rampant, once you overlook the hoards of bugs and terrible AI. Assuming you can open the game.    … Expand
  89. Quforic
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    Constantly crashes, ugly graphical tears and poor shadows on both the campaign and battle views, All the units look nearly the same, have pretty much identical stats, and have similar unit icons.

    After 3 patches from Creative Assembly its still broken, still buggy, and still and huge pile of dog **** Thanks for shows us alpha shots that looks 10x better than the finished product,    Constantly crashes, ugly graphical tears and poor shadows on both the campaign and battle views, All the units look nearly the same, have pretty much identical stats, and have similar unit icons.

    After 3 patches from Creative Assembly its still broken, still buggy, and still and huge pile of dog ****

    Thanks for shows us alpha shots that looks 10x better than the finished product, and thanks for lying through your teeth all through development.    … Expand
  90. Arthalion
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    without talking about bad otpimisation, this game is not a good strategy game. Just for 1 reason, there is no IA, just few orders repeated in every situation. So no AI, no strategy, no game. Actually total war rome 2 is just a bugged graphical benchmark.
  91. blitzsnake
    Sep 25, 2013
    1
    Rome 2 is what you get when you combine EA-style marketing, pre-ordering and producing with complete control on the game making process. Rome 2 was made for the sole purpose to maximize sales and abuse fan loyalty. Any sane player will notice after maximum 2 hours of playing. There are so many corners cut. So many half-assed features. Barely nothing from the trailers made it into the game.Rome 2 is what you get when you combine EA-style marketing, pre-ordering and producing with complete control on the game making process. Rome 2 was made for the sole purpose to maximize sales and abuse fan loyalty. Any sane player will notice after maximum 2 hours of playing. There are so many corners cut. So many half-assed features. Barely nothing from the trailers made it into the game. Those were blatant LIES. Siege of Carthage looks nothing like the trailer. Even though the devs had the audacity to say it would look EVEN better than the video.

    Sure, some may say that it wasn't CA's fault and it was Sega pressuring them to release the game, but the way I see it, that's all the more reason not to buy Rome 2. I have a hard time believing that Rome 2 would've been released had the greatest powers in CA objected. The impression I've had from CA is that their entire model consists of impressing SEGA as much as possible. They don't care about the fans. They know we'll buy the game regardless. Rome 2 is like one shiny turd thrown at the face of fans all over the world.    … Expand
  92. mr_cyberpunk
    Sep 25, 2013
    2
    This game was advertised as being a cinematic epic with advanced "learning" AI. This game does not live up to those claims at all. The game runs very poorly on the best hardware and looks terrible especially when compared to Rome 1 Mods like RTR, Roma Surrectum and EB.

    The streamlining in this title went too far and removes most of the challenge from the game, the veterans are    This game was advertised as being a cinematic epic with advanced "learning" AI. This game does not live up to those claims at all. The game runs very poorly on the best hardware and looks terrible especially when compared to Rome 1 Mods like RTR, Roma Surrectum and EB.

    The streamlining in this title went too far and removes most of the challenge from the game, the veterans are overpowered and remove the reward from fighting a good battle. The tactical elements have been reduced to blob warfare, where combat multipliers do not apply and in general the game feels unrealistic.. which is a shame because Total War always prided itself on being realistic at least from a tactical standpoint.

    The UI is terrible and by far some of the worst design I've seen in a long time. The UI icons are uninspired and nothing feels intuitive. At first glance I didn't even know where the techtree was.. versus Empire and Shogun 2 which I immediately understood where everything was. We're taking steps backwards.

    I played this game for about 2 weeks. Managed to get to the endgame but couldn't bring myself to complete the game out of frustraition with boring battles where all I was really doing was watching the action. There's no tactics.. you can spam town centers and win with no issues. Eventually the game reduces to auto-resolving.. defeating most of the work the developers did on the game. The seige system is broken, there's no need to build seige equipment as you can just burn down gates... and its not as if the AI knows how to use walls.

    The game crashed several times. The factions are rather dull and I didn't appreciate the Greek City States being DLC, when taking into account these being unplayable for new customers, this game lacks content.. If you install mods you're opened up to the reality that CA is cheating people, the content is in the game, its just locked.. they expect fans to pay for them yet again.

    The naval combat is unplayable... I can't figure it out but the whole thing feels boring when it does work. I've lost entire units to some pathing bugs forcing the soldiers to abandon ship.

    Environment design is dreadful, most of it you rarely see because the game is too easy.

    This game is easily a 2.. its unfinished, its barely acceptable as a Beta, I couldn't get very many hours out of this because it was too easy, every faction felt the same, there's just none of the charm their earlier games had.

    And hands down this is one of the worst games I've ever played, its not fun and its release is unacceptable, CA are a terrible developer and should be held accountable for the games they release. I'm just glad I didn't buy it.    … Expand
  93. Orthogon
    Sep 25, 2013
    8
    It's shocking to play a Total War game where features people use *all the time* have been dropped from the battle (guard button anyone? No loose formation, etc.)

    The AI can't put up a good fight, which makes the battle mode fun : I know formulaic games get boring, but they've taken the formula and broken the fun bits, you won't be recreating your Rome: Total War battles or any    It's shocking to play a Total War game where features people use *all the time* have been dropped from the battle (guard button anyone? No loose formation, etc.)

    The AI can't put up a good fight, which makes the battle mode fun :

    I know formulaic games get boring, but they've taken the formula and broken the fun bits, you won't be recreating your Rome: Total War battles or any episodes of Time Commanders with this, it just can't do it!    … Expand
  94. Vineor
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    Rome 2 is the most obvious milking of a fan-base i sadly had to see, taking something so promising and completely and utterly destroying it like this erases any form of hope CA maybe tried to actually accomplish something respectable and propably got pressured by Sega. The reason this can happen is because gaming doesnt get the respect it deserves and the fact we let Sega aswell as CARome 2 is the most obvious milking of a fan-base i sadly had to see, taking something so promising and completely and utterly destroying it like this erases any form of hope CA maybe tried to actually accomplish something respectable and propably got pressured by Sega. The reason this can happen is because gaming doesnt get the respect it deserves and the fact we let Sega aswell as CA getting away with this and they did, week 1 sales got more then diablo 3 wich is propably the most horrific thing ever happend to gaming.… Expand
  95. angel123
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    Broken down game..if you like to be a paid beta tester go ahead..if you like to teach those CA failers a leson w8 2-3 mouths before they patch the game to be playble and then buy it.
  96. Ratspike
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    I wish i could give this game less than a 0.

    Forget the broken game, the quality of previous total war games that gave hope to an ever better Total War this time around. The marketing for this game was so dishonest, so under-handed, so criminal. To say the AI is "better then ever before" is a grin of a lie, they knew it was broken yet they still said how amazing the game was. They    I wish i could give this game less than a 0.

    Forget the broken game, the quality of previous total war games that gave hope to an ever better Total War this time around.

    The marketing for this game was so dishonest, so under-handed, so criminal. To say the AI is "better then ever before" is a grin of a lie, they knew it was broken yet they still said how amazing the game was. They released pictures of mesmerizing soldiers and landscapes. THE GAME LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE PROMOTIONAL PHOTOS.

    This company deserves to fall to its pieces and every liar within to be out of a job, this is what is wrong with video games today, and getting a 0 on a metacritic review is the absolute least CA deserves.    … Expand
  97. scumbag
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    A stripped back bare bones buggy game with terrible AI. Don't get me wrong I'll try and play it with the future patches but this has to be the worst launch of a game I've ever seen.
  98. Add1cted
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    It's difficult to rate this game properly due to the hype surrounding the launch. My review is based on expectations vs reality.

    Frankly, I was hoping for something which progressed the series, added depth and flavour to campaigns, and celebrated the return to the era where I began my Total War experience all those years ago. Frankly, what we got was a buggy, average game with little    It's difficult to rate this game properly due to the hype surrounding the launch. My review is based on expectations vs reality.

    Frankly, I was hoping for something which progressed the series, added depth and flavour to campaigns, and celebrated the return to the era where I began my Total War experience all those years ago. Frankly, what we got was a buggy, average game with little depth and poorly planned/lacking features.

    Diplomacy is shallow, faction politics are confusing and the AI seems timid and makes awful decisions both on the campaign map and the battle maps.

    Personally I pre-ordered, which was an error.

    Sure, the game is beautiful and has some interesting aspects such as the new province system. However these features are hamstrung by decisions such as to remove the ability to trade regions, leaving the province system as just another reason to wage war against someone you'd rather not.

    As a game, it's alright. As a Total War, it's the biggest let down to date.    … Expand
  99. wozmir
    Sep 25, 2013
    4
    I feel deceived by CA's marketing. What was meant to be the greatest TW game to date is nothing more than a beta version of something big. They're frantically trying to patch this up, to no avail. The AI's passive, the optimisation is lame, only modders are trying to save this game. I just wonder how could the reviewers give the game around 80%. It's not that it's bad it couldn't ever beI feel deceived by CA's marketing. What was meant to be the greatest TW game to date is nothing more than a beta version of something big. They're frantically trying to patch this up, to no avail. The AI's passive, the optimisation is lame, only modders are trying to save this game. I just wonder how could the reviewers give the game around 80%. It's not that it's bad it couldn't ever be good because it's unfinished.… Expand
  100. sturmstorm
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    OMG.... Big, Big Total War fan.....

    This game lacks Depth Lacks Strategy Lacks the feel of a Total War Franchise as they threw away the core of the game to make it more arcady. I like the region management and the graphics but that's as far as i go. The Campaigns are Boring, the diplomacy and 'in-house turmoil' doesn't effect the game or even matter. False Advertising and the fact    OMG.... Big, Big Total War fan.....

    This game lacks Depth
    Lacks Strategy
    Lacks the feel of a Total War Franchise as they threw away the core of the game to make it more arcady. I like the region management and the graphics but that's as far as i go. The Campaigns are Boring, the diplomacy and 'in-house turmoil' doesn't effect the game or even matter.

    False Advertising and the fact that i spent 60 Euros on a Beta version of the game CA can wave goodbye to this customer... even though i'm sure it has attracted the new group of fanboys along the way. This is my last ever buy of TW or CA games....

    At least when sim city had difficulties they actually gave money vouchers to buy a new game as an apology here CA said this is what is to be expected from now on "oh yeah and sorry for not warning you this was out strategy"     … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 71
  3. Negative: 7 out of 71
  1. Worth Playing
    Nov 18, 2013
    74
    The game is far less polished than Shogun 2, and a few more patches will help, but Rome II is still a flawed game that is underwhelming when compared to previous titles in the franchise.
    Read full review
  2. PCGamesN
    Nov 6, 2013
    70
    And here’s the rub: every addition, every sub-system, every mechanic is subservient to War. War is what Total War is really about. Everything else not directly related to conflict comes across as ancillary. Rome II is a game for warmongers, on both the campaign map and, obviously, on the battlefield. When peace is happening, nothing is happening. When war is happening, Rome comes alive.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 28, 2013
    40
    If you will play literally anything featuring Total War and Rome in the same title and don't value your time, this is for you. [Nov 2013, p.80]
See all critic reviews »